


will i see you again?

by blissjaebeom



Series: coming home, coming back to you. [2]
Category: GOT7, JJ Project
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Amnesia, Capslock, Chaptered, M/M, Post-Break Up, warnings in beginning notes!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2019-11-16 04:13:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18087209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blissjaebeom/pseuds/blissjaebeom
Summary: a stranger comes into the cafe claiming to know him, but jaebeom doesn’t. said stranger attempts to convince him otherwise.*was once a one-shot, now chaptered.





	1. begin again.

**Author's Note:**

> warning: mentions of an accident, and jinyoung hyperventilating.
> 
> I was bored in class so whoop.
> 
> also update: i edited a teeny bit more in as well as edited mistakes that i’ve spotted.

the cafe bell rung, signalling another customer coming in or out from the humble cafe in the corner of myeongdong. jaebeom was just cleaning around, he always liked his surrounding clean, and working in a cafe meant he had to clean constantly while serving customers.

 

he was grateful to get a job here, despite the low starting pay and long working hours, but he would’ve taken whatever to survive. 5 years back, he got into an accident, lost his memory, and had been trying to regain them since. he had no one, well, _no one claimed him_ , he wouldn’t even know his name if not for the wallet he had with him when he was struck by the car. he figured his parents had died, or were estranged and since his phone was long gone, he didn’t remember who his other family and friends were. his emergency contact was unreachable too, so it was only him and his small one-room apartment at the outskirts of seoul. he didn't remember the apartment he last stayed prior to the accident, and the records reverted him back to his childhood home, which was no longer there.

 

despite that, his manager, seungyoon, pitied him enough to give him a job and a temporary shelter. he was related to the nurse that had took pity on him, hence, having a roof over his head for a while. he didn’t even know how to make coffee, but the other workers there - mark and youngjae, who were also boyfriends - helped him through it all.

 

you'd think in 5 years he'd regain a memory or two back, but he hadn't. it wasn't rare, of course, but everyday seems like a challenge for jaebeom, despite already getting used to it. he wanted to know how he ended up the way he did, but he’d figured he was very idiotic not to update his details before he got hurt.

 

it was just another day of brewing coffee, prepping pastries for the cafe when the bell rang, signalling a customer.

 

“good morning, welcome to modé cafe. what would you like to have today?” jaebeom greeted without looking at the customer at first.

 

“jaebeom?” the customer called.

 

the barista looked down at his nametag, and up again at the customer. now that he's taken a look, he immediately realises how extremely beautiful the man in front of him is, but also had a little familiar twinge to him.

 

“yes?”

 

“jaebeom. it's me.”

 

“i-i… sorry. i have no recollection of you…” jaebeom rushed out, not knowing how to react to this.

 

“jaebeom hyung. it's me,  jinyoung.”

 

 ** _jinyoung_** … sounds familiar.

 

“i'm sorry… i have had amnesia for five years… you must be someone i know before. but sorry, i don’t remember you now…”  

 

“oh. five years? that’s when…” the other man's eyes were starting to glisten, which meant he was seconds away from tearing or worse, _crying_.

 

“yo! can we order here?!” the man behind the beautiful one right in front of him complained. the latter apologised, before quickly muttering out, “one americano to go please.” and left after he got his drink, never to be seen again.

 

* * *

 

it bugged jaebeom. a lot. it didn't help that this jinyoung person felt _eerily familiar_ , and his parting statement was… suspicious to say the least. he hoped the other would come back soon, he needed to know his past.

 

 _soon_ meant a month later. it was a rainy day and jaebeom observes people running in the pouring rain to get to their destination as fast as possible. days like this are a little slow, youngjae was on his break, and since it was not the peak period, jaebeom was manning the counter alone, so he was admittedly bored.

 

he was stoning and staring into space when the bell rang. cue jaebeom’s usual greeting:

 

_“good afternoon, welcome to modé cafe. what would you like to have today?”_

 

“hyung.” jaebeom looked at the customer and there he was - the man that had recently been constantly in his mind.

 

“hello.” he tries his best to not correct his formality.

 

“what time do you finish?”

 

“uh, in 4 hours… why?”

 

“how about your break?”

 

“it was just over.” where is the other going with this?

 

“okay... can we talk… after you’re done? if that’s alright.”

 

“not to sound rude but… who are you to me?” well, this part of jaebeom hasn’t changed - still extremely straightforward.

 

“i was your boyfriend… and you just disappeared and i couldn’t find you and i-” he was about to breakdown, jaebeom sees, and he goes to interrupt him before anything gets worse.

 

“wait, we’ll just talk wholly after i’m done.” that was that, _jaebeom had just agreed to find out more on his past._

 

* * *

 

“we were boyfriends… for like 4 years. we stayed together in uh - one apartment, and we fought, we fought the night you went missing… 5 years back. you threatened that you weren’t coming home, you left… and you really didn't come home. i was so sure you were done with me… that you didn’t want to be with me, although it eventually didn’t make any sense since all your things were at… home. but after the 3rd week, i gave up hope. i started accepting that… we were over. i... i didn’t…” jinyoung started to hyperventilate, and the older had to rub his back, trying to calm him down. they were currently having dinner at a small korean restaurant and jinyoung barely waited after they sat down to verbal-vomit.

 

“i didn’t report you missing… i thought you were ignoring my calls… when i went to your workplace, i thought your colleagues were covering up for you… i just didn’t think… wait i did… think if anything bad had happened… i couldn’t think then, and i can’t think now… i’m sorry, hyung. and i knew you were going to propose... i found the ring... i... i should have looked for you and…”

 

“jinyoung-ssi, calm down. breathe with me, in... and out…” jaebeom was honestly overwhelmed; more so about this stranger-not-stranger hyperventilating right beside him in public than the information about him he’s getting.

 

“hyung…” jinyoung looked over at the older, “i’m with chanyeol now…” that hurt jaebeom, although he had no fucking clue who chanyeol was (maybe he should?). he felt hurt, but he didn't know why.

 

he doesn’t even know if jinyoung’s telling the truth. he doesn’t even know who he really is. jinyoung needed to hit the brakes and explain a to z to jaebeom.

 

“can we… uh, eat first? i'm starving…” jaebeom awkwardly asked. jinyoung nodded, wiping his tears away.

 

the dinner went by completely silent, jinyoung still sniffling every now and then and Jaebeom wishing a black hole will swallow him once and for all, just to get out of this awkward moment.

 

they decided to seek refuge at a cereal cafe after, jaebeom suddenly feeling obligated to pay for the younger - well, jinyoung was going to spill everything anyway, right?

 

“uh, where do i start?” jinyoung nervously chuckled.

 

“mm… about us? like how we got together n stuff…”

 

“okay… uh, we were in the same few classes, and we had mutual friends… then, our friends set us up on a blind date… and we hit it off? we only got together the year we graduated though… we were friends for 3 years… wait sorry, hold on, my mind is a little messy…”

 

“take your time jinyoung-ssi.” jinyoung looked up, he forgets that he isn't his ‘jinyoungie’ anymore.

 

“we got together, we really were in love… then you suggested we moved in together… with your 5 cats… uh, they're still alive by the way…”

 

“i had cats?”

 

“mhmm, kunta, odd, bear, cake… and your favourite, nora. they miss you everyday.” he chuckled again.

 

“wow. i didn't imagine myself a cat person…”

 

“you are. you'd give everything and anything to them. when you see stray cats on the street, you'd get them little tuna cans for them and feed them. well, kunta and odd were strays…” jaebeom,  as cheesy as he sounds, could see how the other's eyes had sparkled when talking about the cats, he looked genuinely happy for once since they met, just talking about cats and jaebeom deddies he liked it.

 

“uh, the night we fought… it was about something really stupid. i don't even remember now… but i knew it was really petty. we were both tired, and we'd just been on the line for quite a while… and the night you disappeared… i thought it snapped for sure. like i said, i didn't think to look for you - i was convinced you didn't want to see me again… but hyung,” he looked up with that little sparkle again, “when i saw you a month ago… it felt like a burden lifted off my shoulder. i was so, so happy, i didn't think i'd see you again… i was so relieved to see you so well… and eventhough i realised you didn’t remember anything... still, i started to be happy again.”

 

“jinyoung… i'm sorry.” jaebeom saw how the smile on jinyoung's face slowly transitioned to a frown.

 

“do you have… pictures? i’m really sorry, i just can't remember anything,” jaebeom continued, he wanted to give the younger a chance.

 

“of course, hyung. i mean, jaebeom-ssi. uh, i brought photos we took of each other with our film cameras… oh we loved that too. we used to collect different film cameras and took pictures of everything.” jinyoung pulled out a box, opening it, revealing a large stack of photo films.

 

jaebeom was too scared to touch anything, so jinyoung picked up a few and slide them over to the other.

 

they were mostly all just pictures of the other, smiling, reading books, drinking… anything and everything under the sun. jaebeom felt a bit of nostalgia bubbling at the back of his mind, but none triggered a full memory of the other.

 

“uh, if you want pictures of us together,” jinyoung pulled out his phone, “here.” he scrolled through the many selcas of them both. still no recollection of anything whatsoever.

 

“d-do you want to come to our apartment? i mean mine, my apartment,” jinyoung asked, observing that the other had been quiet for a while.

 

“what?” jaebeom bewildered, that was a weird question.

 

“no no… not for any of… that. to see the kids - i mean, cats. yeah, cats.”

 

“uh... sure…”

 

* * *

 

jinyoung led jaebeom to their… old apartment. the latter contemplated his decision, but since he had nothing to lose anyway, he hoped for the best.

 

five pairs of eyes looked at him, and he looked back at all of them. he felt like he was in an intervention… with felines.

 

_meow._

 

another one started hissuing.

 

jaebeom just stood near the door, rooted to the ground, too afraid to move.

 

the brown-white one moved towards him, and he backed up slowly. the cat went around his ankles, then rubbed itself against him.

 

“nora,” jaebeom breathed out. he crouches down and picks the cat up, who was now purring at him as he hugged the cat. the other cats seemed to take in the familiar human, and was now circling around jaebeom in hopes of getting his attention.

 

“ahh kunta, cake, bear, odd…” he recited them all correctly, squatting down and patting them.

 

against the kitchen counter, jinyoung was looking at the scene unfolding in front of him fondly. it was a long time since he had seen this, he still couldn’t believe jaebeom was here, let alone alive. he even remembered their names. his heart feels full again, seeing the cats and jaebeom again… this made him happy. he grabbed one of his cameras sitting on the counter.

 

 **_click_**.

 

jaebeom looked up, a little surprised over the other taking a picture of them both.

 

“was i right? did i remember them all correctly?” jinyoung nodded, almost tearing up.

 

‘cute,’ he thinks. jaebeom was always cute to him, but it was especially to his cats.

 

the front door opens again, and in comes another man.

 

“oh, chanyeol hyung. hello.”

 

 _chanyeol_? oh, the boyfriend.

 

“hey babe,” he greeted, looking at jinyoung questionably.

 

“this is jaebeom…” jinyoung informed. chanyeol’s eyes widened.

 

“ah, hello,” chanyeol awkwardly waved.

 

“hello,” jaebeom greeted back. he looks at jinyoung, “i should go.” he walked towards the door and opens it, before he was stopped.

 

“will i see you again?” jinyoung asks.

 

and all jaebeom could do is smile, walking away.

 

he barely made one block when he heard his name. turning around, he saw jinyoung running towards him.

 

the next thing he knew: **_his lips were pressed against his own._**

 

**it felt like he was finally coming home.**

 


	2. photographs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, i'm making this chaptered!!! updates will be little, slowly but surely. <3 i hope you enjoy!

"hyung. hi, come on in," jinyoung's eyes sparkled at the sight of his ex, who came by wanting to see the cats again.

 

"chanyeol is not here, is he?"

 

"no, he's out of town for some convention... thank you for reaching out," jinyoung smiled at the other.

 

"yeah... i figured i just want to more about the past... i'd think i would want to forget everything and start over, but i can't seem to get you out of my head. i mean... what you said."

 

"yes, i definitely understand that."

 

the cats had all circled around jaebeom, who was sitting on the floor, "i can tell why i was a cat person. they're so cute."

 

"mhhmm. nora's your first." jaebeom nodded at that.

 

"i want to find out more about my... past. like not just on us, but me, you know... in the past."

 

"okay... i remember everything about you... so we will get to that, i guess?" jaebeom nods.

 

"you're a single child, your parents died when you were 17, and you were by yourself since then. you had family, but you weren't exactly close with them, and oh- friends too. jackson, bambam, yugyeom, they missed you so much... that reminds me, i hadn't told them about you.. guess it slipped my mind..." jinyoung nervously chuckled. "oh, you worked 3 jobs, got your own little apartment, and eventually, enrolled into snu, which was where we met. we were... acquaintances. jackson and yugyeom hooked us up on a blind date, and we went to a library cafe in hongdae, talked for hours, until i realised it was 5am, and we both had 8am classes," jinyoung giggled at the memory, "we decided to just stay awake, and came 8am, i walked into class and you were there. we were in the same class the whole time! we were in a lot of the same classes since then, and we got together in year 4, and have been in love ever since. you loved reading, a lot, and taking pictures. in fact, i still have them... if you want to see them? i couldn't bear to throw them away..."

 

jaebeom shrugged, "sure, why not?"

 

jinyoung led them to the storage, and to jaebeom's surprise, there were a lot of boxes, presumably mostly his, seeing his name labelled on them.

 

"and... the cameras are here in this box." jinyoung huffed carrying the heavy box from on top of the pile, almost dropping it if not for jaebeom helping him. "i don't want to start with the books, i can just tell you the titles if you want," jinyoung continued.

 

"little by little. let's see this," jaebeom carried the box to the living room. he pulled open the lid and indeed, there were about 10 film cameras in there, and hundreds of developed pictures. he was sure 90% are of jinyoung. "i really liked taking photos of you, huh?"

 

"you did... because of you, i'd taken a liking to taking pictures too. mostly of you," jinyoung chuckled. he took out a large stack from and they were indeed, pictures of jaebeom. so, so many of them.

 

"wow... this is a lot. and good too. guess chanyeol is lucky to have pictures of him taken like these."

 

"i... uh, i don't take pictures anymore."

 

jaebeom furrowed his eyebrows, "why not?"

 

"i... i try not to do things that reminds me of..." _you_ , left unsaid. jaebeom obviously understood that.

 

"i'm sorry," the older apologised.

 

jinyoung confused, "what for?"

 

"for... leaving."

 

the other widened his eyes, "no. no, it's not your fault."

 

"it is. well, it really feels like it is... you suffered because of me."

 

"no. no, i'm so sorry if i ever gave you the impression of that, but never for one second, i thought it was your fault. if it was anyone's fault, it was me. i started the fight, it was because you kept coming back too late, but then you reasoned out that you were trying to earn more money for us so we can finally get married and... i was so stubborn, i didn't believe you. until it was too late."

 

"oh."

 

"i'm glad... i'm glad you're here. you're alive, hyung," jinyoung's eyes sparkled with tears, "i finally have you back again."

* * *

 

"hyung, i hope it's okay. i want to bring you to your favourite korean bbq place."  
  
  
"yeah, it's alright." jinyoung gave his best smile, leading the both of them towards the restaurant. jinyoung asked the other to lunch a few days after, and they finally managed to set a date where both their off-days were the same.  
  
  
walking side by side, they carried on the awkward silence before jinyoung has had enough.

 

"how was your week?"

 

"good. yours?'

 

"good, good... um, can i ask you a question? you can choose to answer it or not, but i'm just curious. are you annoyed at me?"

 

"huh?" jaebeom was definitely taken aback by that question, "no, what makes you think so?"  
  


"i... it's nothing. sorry."

 

"no, tell me what's wrong." the older was worried, truthfully, he felt a little guilty.

 

"i just feel like... you give the vibes of not wanting to be here? i don't know... maybe i'm just overreacting, as usual."

 

"i guess... i'm just feeling overwhelmed. i... i've been like this since i woke up in the hospital. was my personality different from then?"

 

"yeah, definitely. you didn't talk a lot to begin with, always wanting to listen to me talk or sing... but you still talked then. now, i can barely strike a proper conversation with you without it being awkward. sorry... that was so rude of me to say i mean, not talking isn't a bad thing i'm jus-"

 

"no, i understand what you mean. i apologise for the lack of speech."

 

"no, no!" jinyoung panicked, grabbing the other's arm with tears brimming in his eyes, "i'm sorry, no, don't feel bad. i don't mean to make you feel bad... i'm just... fuck. sorry, maybe this was a mistake." jinyoung looked at where they were standing, then at jaebeom, "please don't follow me, i'm sorry."

 

he ran away, away from jaebeom. 


	3. his and this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just came back from vacation :))) so here's another lil' chap.

in his entire lifetime, jinyoung have 2 big regrets. one was to not go for the last one direction concert before zayn decided to quit, and the other: not finding jaebeom the night they broke up. obviously the latter was on a much larger significance than the former, but he thinks about the first one when he wants to feel better about himself.

 

why didn't he chase after the older, you ask?

 

they were considered the perfect couple; balancing each other out, acting like an old-married couple, being domestic as fuck (as quoted by jackson), etc. there was never one without the other. everyone in school thinks they're dating, although for the first 3 years, they were just friends. however, what they don't know is how their relationship deteriorated after long after graduation. long hours, arguing about the smallest things strained their relationship fast. they barely made it 4 years together before the incident. jinyoung doesn't remember the cause of the fight (honestly, at that point of time, it could've been about anything), but he vividly remembers at their last few minutes.

 

_"jesus, jinyoung! you can't fucking lose, can you?!" jaebeom screams, hands going through his hair in anger._

_"i'm not the one coming home late every night you asshole!"_

_"i fucking told you: i'm busy at work!"_

_"every night, really? really, jaebeom?" jinyoung didn't want to cry, but the tears couldn't stop flowing out._

_"yes. i already warned you before too."_

_he wipes his face, his sigh blurry again as more tears flow out, he whimpers out, "i c-called wonpil and sungjin doesn't come back this late. are you cheating on me?!"_

_"what the hell, sungjin and i aren't even in the same team! can you fucking pay attention to what i say sometimes?!" the younger backed away out of fear, his boyfriend screaming at the top of his lungs now. as much as jaebeom hurt to see jinyoung like this, he was too angry to care. they had this argument so many times before, but this was the first time jinyoung had accused me of something he swears he didn't and never will do. that crosses the line. "you think i would cheat on you?! we've been dating for 4 years, you know me. how can you say something like that to and of me?" he was hurt, jinyoung can tell, and he wishes he could take back his words._

_"jaebeom-"_

_"no, i... i need to... no. i'm out."_

_"w-wait jaebeom, what are you saying?" he reaches out, grabbing the older by the arm, not planning to let go._

_"just..." jaebeom takes a deep breath, "i can't do this anymore if this is all we will be doing for the next few years."_

_"a-are you brea-" jinyoung couldn't even continue as he starts hyperventilates._

_"i... i need some time off. just give me some time-"_

_he grabs the other even more tightly, begging"no-no. you're not leaving me jaebeom, we need to talk about this!"_

_"we do but... we both need to calm down and then we can talk about it with clea-"_

_"i said we need to talk about this!" jinyoung shouts, letting go of him but going on his knees and held onto his right leg. he was desperate._

_"jinyoung, let me go. if we continue on like this for the rest of the night, i won't be coming home at all the next time i leave. let. me. go." and so jinyoung did._

 

he didn't regret that, no. jaebeom was right, they needed to both cool their heads before everything else went south. what he did regret was not going out to look for him right after. he really thought he needed to give the older some time, he didn't know what happened... happened. a few days were fine, but when a week gone lasts 2 weeks... he concluded that maybe... jaebeom would come back when he wants to come back. or he won't come back at all, but jinyoung tries not to think about that.

no one could contact him - the places he usually frequents was absent of him. jinyoung goes to his workplace with a lunchbox he made for the older, but his colleagues had no idea what had happened to him either. he thinks they're lying. he texts his friends, who didn't know either, and he was so sure that they're all working together to keep him in hiding.  1 month later, he finally cleans up the house, prepping himself for when jaebeom comes back. he hadn't realise how messy the house was, but he was so sure jaebeom was coming home soon, he has to. as he picks up the backpack he left behind, he opens it, wanting to see what he kept inside. it's an invasion of privacy of course, but maybe it might clue him on the older's whereabouts (logic won't make sense at times like this). unfortunately, he finds jaebeom's phone, which has no battery, and quickly plugs it to the charger. it soon lights up and he sees all 1403 unread messages, from him, from his colleagues, friends... oh god, where is he? he brought nothing but himself when he left... he could be anywhere now, he could be hurt, he coul- no, let's not go there.

jinyoung searched him high and low, his studio, his favourite cafe and restaurant... but nothing. he considers going to the police, but what could he say? couple arguments isn't something they're likely to handle, and they probably wouldn't entertain him even for a second. also, he was terrified.

 

he never gave up though. everywhere he looks, he looks for jaebeom. every morning when he wakes up, every night when he sleeps, he prays that jaebeom is okay, that jaebeom will come back to him. even a year after when he's moved on, when jaebeom's things were packed in boxes and moved into the storage. when jinyoung meets chanyeol, and moves on.

he still hasn't given up then.

but he definitely should've gone to the cops.

* * *

jinyoung feels guilty. he feels guilty about a lot of things, but now, he feels guilty for moving on. he moved on from a chapter that was too good to be true in the first place. he moved on from the person that made him feel alive, happy, oh so fucking happy. 

and when the person returned, which jinyoung never thought in a million years will happen this soon, he not only feels guilty for that, but for obsessing over him. but it wasn't him _him_ , it was a different jaebeom altogether. he wish he was obsessing over _his_ jaebeom, but _this_ jaebeom was so, so different, jinyoung couldn't even begin to describe it. his jaebeom never acted _**indifferent,**_ even if he thinks the topic is the most boring thing he's ever heard, he'd always look remotely interested, like he was willing to be there. this jaebeom... god, it was like jinyoung was an obsessed fan of his. he didn't feel as comfortable with the older anymore,  and he doesn't even want to begin thinking about how the older would feel around him. _this_ jaebeom was so closed off, and this is coming from someone who had managed to be the only person in the world to break his shell, only for it to fix itself back again. this wasn't the jaebeom he fell in love with, it was an entirely different person, and jinyoung regrets. he regrets even wanting to try something, _anything_ , again, when there's nothing there anymore, and that he's with someone else now.

this jaebeom felt like a stranger that he needed to try with again, however, this time, it's much different - he didn't know anything about this jaebeom. trying again wasn't a problem, but this feels like an entirely new person jinyoung knew, but didn't at the same time. wanting to start again was also not a problem, but what could he do if it was only him trying? well, it felt like it, anyway. he tells himself he shouldn't get too ahead, he shouldn't invest himself in this, and that he should move on. he shouldn't push for a relationship that was never going to be the same again, that was never going to be like before. times and things have changed, and he should really, really move on.

a part, a large part of him, however, begs to differ. he thinks it's only because he didn't get a full closure on their relationship, but at this rate, he couldn't, if jaebeom could not remember a single thing nor remember _him_. he still prays that jaebeom would come back to him, but adds a correction:

  he still prays that _**his** _jaebeom would come back to him.

 

he's aware of how unfair it was to chanyeol. it really was. admittedly, he got into the relationship still in love with someone else. heck, even now, jinyoung knew he still had feelings for jaebeom. it wasn't right for chanyeol, or jaebeom. this is all so wrong. as much as he wanted it, wanted jaebeom back in his life again, he should put a stop to it before it gets worse.

**it's 5 years long overdue but, he has to let jaebeom go. once and for all.**


	4. déjà vu.

as he ran away, jaebeom chooses not to chase him. if this was hard for him he couldn't imagine what it would've been for jinyoung. maybe it's for the best that they stopped before anything else continued, it would've caused more harm than good and jaebeom knew that.

the next couple of months, he gets back to his life, the life he knows - being a barista and going back to an empty home. he's not going to lie, finding out he had 5 cats in his... _previous_ life, had him wanting a cat for himself. _would it be too crass to ask for his cats back?_ jaebeom thinks. no, jinyoung had been taking care of them when jaebeom had forgotten about them completely, he wouldn't want to take the cats away from him. he opted to go to the animal shelter instead, just looking around to see if there's a cat he's destined to be with, or a dog, or rabbits, who knows, really? 

it was a nice day out, so he decides to walk to the shelter, and he realises he was going to pass by jinyoung's house. wow, he didn't know how close they were to each other, that's wild. the familiar-yet-unfamiliar scent of _home_ hit him, and he stopped in his tracks when he hears rustling in the bushes.

**_meow._ **

jaebeom looks towards the direction of the sound, but he sees no cat in sight. thinking the cat may be in the bushes, he parts them apart to reveal:

"nora." the feline looked up at the sound and backed up a little once she sees the man. "nora baby, why are you outside?" jaebeom puts his arms out for the cat to come to him, but it had only backed away from him even more. jaebeom sighs, looking around to see if there's a convenience store nearby - oh, there is one. he quickly enters it and buys a small can of tuna, _hopefully this lures her out_ , he thinks to himself. he pulls the tab open and slid the top open but not completely, and bends down at where he last saw the cat.

"nora~ nora come here, i have a treat for you," he cooes, but after 5 minutes, there was no sign of the four-legged animal. he furrows his brows, he was gone for barely 2 minutes, it was very unlikely nora had run off so fast. he tries to clear the path for the cat again, pushing the bushes to either side - if she could get in, she can definitely go out.

a-ha! there she was, grooming her paws. jaebeom picks up the can again and places it nearer to her. she looks up at the smell, at the can, then at jaebeom, still wary. he places the can down and pulls his hand back - but stays put and cleared his line of vision so he can see the cat. nora licks her paw one last time and stands up on all four, slowly walking towards the can and... bingo, she's eating it. jaebeom feels victorious. as she eats, jaebeom just looks at her fondly, loving the way he feels watching his childhood cat eat. it's unreal, really. everything that led up to this moment: how jaebeom had gotten into an accident and forgot every single thing, how he spent the last 5 years hoping to gain the memory back, only to gain back one in a physical form - a human, an entire fucking human. although, he barely got any memories back, so that was no help. he does remember the feeling - the homey feeling - when he sees the cats, _his_ cats. it feels like home, that apartment. but it wasn't his anymore, and he accepted that. everything right at this moment feels familiar, the atmosphere, buying tuna, kneeling down and watching a cat eat, he couldn't emphasize enough how he feels. he feels whole, but empty still at the same time.

nora soon finished eating, and was soon licking herself clean again. jaebeom removes the can, gently and slowly stroking her fur. she did not resist, thank heavens, instead, she pushes her head into his palm and licks it.

"come on out baby, we need to get you home." he beckons her over, and breathed a sigh of relief when she did. he stands up and rang the bell on the apartment building. 

 

a voice sounded through the intercom, "hello?" it wasn't jinyoung.

"hi uh... chanyeol? uh yeah, i have nora here with me, she ran away, i guess."

"oh! she has? didn't even notice, who's this by the way?"

"it's uh, jaebeom."

"oh." a heavy pause, "come up and bring her in, i guess."

 

as he takes the lift up and walks towards the door, he finally knew what he's been feeling: a sense of  _ **déjà vu.**_ yes, that was the perfect description of what he's been feeling. and he decides to welcome it. he reaches the apartment and knocks on the door, for it to be immediately opened by chanyeol.

"hey thanks man, really appreciate it." he grabs nora from the other's arms, the cat growling a little but stopped when she was put down.

"no problem." another heavy pause, "i guess i'll get going then." jaebeom turns around, only to come face to face with jinyoung, who was wearing a long-sleeved white top coupled with a knitted vest.

 

_and then everything comes back._

 

_"hi, i'm jinyoung."_

_"i know that," he pauses, "we have mutual friends... sorry i didn't mean to be rude. i'm jaebeom."_

_jinyoung smiled back slyly, "i know that," he pauses just like the other did, "we have mutual friends."_

 

_"uh, i was wondering whether you'd wanna go on a date with me sometime?"_

_jinyoung furrows his brows and jaebeom quickly thinks it was a bad idea asking, that he got the signals wrong and was about to retract his question back when:_

_"i thought we were already dating? i mean, we've been going out together for the past month... weren't those dates?"_

 

_"i told you, hyung, we really don't need another cat."_

_"we do jinyoungie, how can we leave them like that!" jinyoung sighs, knowing it's a lost cause since he always loses out to stray cats anyway. but he knew he could never say no to his hyung, especially when they found these kittens in a box in the middle of one of the worst winters korea has ever experienced._

_"fine, the last ones okay?"_

_a month after, they found  and adopted 2 more cats._

 

_"wow, i remember this vest," jaebeom comments, unpacking his boyfriend's clothes into their closet. their closet._

_"why?" jinyoung smiled coyly, knowing very well what he was going to say._

_"because i was wondering why it was like 30 degrees celsius outside and this guy was wearing, not only two layers, but a fucking vest. i thought, wow, he must be crazy."_

_"he is. crazy for you," jinyoung winks back, and jaebeom knew he felt the same._

jaebeom winces in pain, both hands palming his temple at all these memories coming back.

 

"jaebeom, are you okay?" jinyoung asks, stepping forward towards him.

"you wore this when we first met."

"what?"

"you-you wore this. with the grey backpack that's got a lot of badges on it because you've been using the same bag since high school. and you didn't want to get rid of it since it was still in good condition. you also spilled tteokbokki on the floor on one of our unofficial dates because u thought you saw a bug on it and the stall ahjumma gave us a new cup and -"

jinyoung widens his eyes, "wait, you remember? you remembered all that?"

"ah fuck, my head hurts, fuck." someone else cleared their throat and for a moment, jaebeom and jinyoung forgot chanyeol was standing right there.

"d-do you want to come in?" jinyoung asks worriedly, and jaebeom quickly shakes his head, looking over at chanyeol. jinyoung has someone else now, and jaebeom needs to let him go, for real this time.

 

"goodbye jinyoung."

* * *

_"nyoung, do you think we will be together forever?"_

_jinyoung smiles, his face flushed and sweaty after the night they just had, "of course, i don't doubt it for a second, hyung."_

_"me too, baby, i want to spend the rest of my life with you. always."_

 

**but jaebeom guesses, sometimes always is never enough.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't want them to get back together like a pessimist i am!!! anyway, it may seem incomplete.... i apologise for that. i have had very low motivation levels to write nowadays but i managed to complete this in 2 days.... albeit not much.
> 
> anyway!!! i'm writing a babysitting jjp [au](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19964947/chapters/47261755) on my other account lol so enjoy that i guess!! <3 thank you so much for waiting and reading!


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